title: [Mental disorders and social inequalities in three birth cohorts].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test if mental disorders are more prevalent and start earlier in younger cohorts, as well as investigating changes of the association between mental disorders and social class.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison of three birth cohorts in the representative German Health Survey (Mental Health Supplement, GHS-MHS; age: 18-65; N = 4,181) with regard to substance use, depressive, anxiety and somatoform disorders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalences of mental disorders are the same across cohorts but lifetime risk is higher in recent cohorts (in particular for depression). A gradient of social class shows a tendency to be stronger in younger cohorts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the retrospective design increased lifetime risk in younger cohorts might be over-estimated. Repeated surveys in the same population are needed to determine whether the prevalence of mental disorders is rising in recent years. The association between social status and mental health will be of growing importance in the future.
authors.affiliation: Abt. Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsberichterstattung, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin. E.Mauz@rki.de
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mauz
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jacobi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult